The Community Vault

Join us as we learn about the JudHub Social Innovation Center, aka JudHub. James Abbott, the Community Manager, tells us about the history of Judson Mill, the vision of JudHub, and how CommunityWorks fits into it. Whether you're an entrepreneur or an employee in the for profit or nonprofit sector, JudHub (and CommunityWorks) can be a resource to you!

The Northside Development Group is encouraging and managing the redevelopment of the City of Spartanburg’s Northside Community…honoring it’s past while expanding affordable and market rate housing, economic, educational, recreational, health and social opportunities for it’s residents. Over 450 new or renovated homes have been created – along with a community center (TK Gregg), an early learning school (Franklin School), parks, and more…their 400-page plan has been their guide. Tammie Hoy Hawkins, outgoing CEO of CommunityWorks was the project manager of Northside for 10 years. Now, Michael Williamson is the CEO. He sits down to share their story with us. CommunityWorks continues to partner with the Northside through down payment assistance programs, support of their entrepreneur course, Start:Me and more. 

Listen in and give Northside a follow at the link below:

Join us as we talk with Bernie Mazyck, the President, and CEO of the South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development (SCACED). CommunityWorks is a proud member of SCACED, where we work together to advocate for strong federal, state, and local support of prosperity for low-wealth communities in SC. We discuss the small business ecosystem and Community Economic Development from the Lowcountry to the Upstate. 

90% of the 4,000 people United Ministries serves each year are living below the poverty line (for a family of 4, this is less than $27k per year). What is financial literacy and why does it matter? The Executive Director of United Ministries, Lizzie Bebber, shares about the work UM is doing to increase financial equity and self-sufficiency in Greenville. 

Listen along as we chat with Deborah McKetty, the Senior Vice President for Community Impact at United Way of Greenville County. Deborah founded CommunityWorks and served as the CEO until 2019. A Greenville native, she opens up about her experience with fighting for racial equity in her career and beyond. She gives insight into her position on the REEM (Racial Equity and Economic Mobility Commission) Commission and talks about how Greenville residents can help fight for justice.

CommunityWorks is a unique organization, and we receive many questions from potential clients and partners about who we are and who we serve. In this episode, we chat with Katy Davenport, the Chief Program Officer of CommunityWorks to get back to the basics.

We discuss:

What does it mean to be a nonprofit financial institution?

How is CommunityWorks different than a bank?

Is it free to work with CommunityWorks?

What is a predatory lender?

AND MORE! 

Listen as we talk with Madeleine McGee, the President, and CEO of TogetherSC about the nonprofit sector in SC. Together SC is South Carolina's only organization focused solely on strengthening the state's nonprofit community through education, advocacy and leadership. We discuss how nonprofits in SC are doing in the wake of COVID, how people can get involved (volunteer, career, financially) with nonprofits, and more.

June marks homeownership month. While we celebrate the benefits of homeownership and the American dream, it's also crucial to look at the growing need for affordable housing, home preservation, and community development. Bryan Brown, the CEO of The Greenville Housing Fund, and John Castile, the Executive Director for the Greenville County Redevelopment Authority, join Virginia and Tammie to discuss the current need for affordability in Greenville's housing market as the city continues to grow and expand. Hear their expert thoughts on the current issues facing the housing market, and the 10 year strategic plan they partnered to create and preserve affordable housing for Greenville's future.

Join us as we discuss COVID Relief Funding and Community Development with Greenville County. Meredith Papapieris, the Director of Grants and Special Projects, and Nicole Wood, the Assistant County Administrator, share the journey of distributing the 91M Greenville County received through the Cares Act in Greenville County. We specifically discuss how small businesses were affected by COVID and positively impacted by the relief funding. We also talk through how CommunityWorks partnered with the County to distribute the Cares Act funding for small businesses - particularly through the Hospitality Grant.